As computer chip speeds on circuit boards increase to ever faster speeds, a communications bottleneck in inter-chip communication is becoming a larger problem. One likely solution is to use optics to interconnect high speed computer chips. However, most circuit boards involve many layers and often require tolerances in their manufacture of less than a micron. Physically placing fiber optics and connecting the fibers to the chips can be too inaccurate and time consuming to be widely adopted in circuit board manufacturing processes.
Additionally, accessing optical signals in a solid core optical waveguide at multiple locations can be challenging. Each time an optical signal is accessed it can interfere with and degrade the original signal. Marketable optical interconnects between chips have therefore proven illusive, despite the need for broadband data transfer.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.